Digital material poses different challenges for archivists than its hardcopy equivalents. The long-term challenges of preservation are frequently considered, however the process of surveying potential digital acquisitions is often overlooked. Effective software tools that can be run in situ are necessary when undertaking surveys of personal digital content; however these are just part of the solution. Programs that can run on creators machines within a sensible timeframe must be accompanied by many of the softer skills that archivists have spent their careers honing. The ability to develop productive relationships with depositors has always been essential, but has really been highlighted by working with digital material. The different attitude that creators have about their digital material means that building trust is as important to the process as building tools.

The Human Genome Archive Project (HGAP) aims to preserve the archival legacy of one of the most important scientific achievements of the twentieth century. In the UK, a survey of material created between 1977 and 2004 relating to the sequencing of the human genome is currently underway. In recognition of the collaborative nature of modern science, this survey is challenging traditional approaches to scientific archives which have tended to focus retrospectively on the great men who have won prestigious awards, such as the Nobel Prize.

As a consequence, one of the main challenges facing the survey is that most records are still held by individual scientists or research groups, which do not have well organized record-keeping structures or experience of caring for archival material. Additionally, due to the era of the Human Genome Project, many of these records are in digital format making them more vulnerable than their hardcopy equivalents. This paper will draw on the experience of the HGAP to examine current issues in surveying digital and hardcopy scientific personal papers.

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